Discovering Another Mad Dash (Oct 14): Heading Home and Finally finishing this TR #1523 (05/03)

[PrincessInOz]

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A Quick Hit and Run; Off-Target Shooting Practise




In between the 1 in 54 and the 1 in 18 Odds, we had about 15 minutes to kill. I glanced across the road and convinced Alison to head in for a little target practise. Afterall, the stand-by wait time said 5 minutes.


Alison, the local, took one look at the queue and knew that the wait time was wrong. Nevertheless, she went in with me.

So local knowledge wins out! It took twice as long for us to get there than that stated. But this is a quick boarding ride anyway; so the timing worked out fine.

I’ve always liked this ride in that it gives me two different shooting options.

The precision InterGalactic laser target practice as well as the point-and-shoot kind.

However, I was definitely off my game on both fronts today.



I was missing out on the maximum points target…

…as well as just slightly off-focus on the point-and-shoot target.

Those of you that know what I was aiming for will understand what I mean looking at the two pictures I just posted.


Everything looked kinda square….

….and round on this day.

I just missed the angles of diamonds and triangles COMPLETELY!



This was the only time on this trip that I was glad that DS stayed home. With this score, he would have completely whooped my behind!

We might have gotten on this ride as a quick hit and run to kill time. But it was definitely off-target shooting on both fronts for me today!







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[PrincessInOz]

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A U-turn in the Plan




I think I mentioned that there were two surprises in my cliff notes for this TR. This next post is the first of the two surprises and was pretty difficult for me to write. I’m pretty sure neither Alison nor I want to relive this part of the day. But it has to be written.


When Alison and I were planning this trip, there was one thing that we wished were different but it wasn’t. It was always the one thing that made this day touch-and-go.

Fran was not well and she was unable to join us to share in the fun at Disneyland on this day.



We briefly considered that we might need to cancel this day at Disneyland if Fran needed help or even to abandon the day at the last minute. We considered it…..and then left it alone. Afterall, there wasn’t any point looking for trouble until trouble comes looking for you.


When we were in line for RSR, we tried checking in on Fran but she didn’t pick up her phone. We continued to try to reach her from that point on…all the way into Disneyland….whilst we were in line for Star Tours and for Buzz LightYear…and after 90 minutes of countless unanswered calls and messages, we knew we had to make a u-turn and abandon the park.


Alison did ask if I wanted to stay at the park whilst she went home; but there was no way I could do that.


We headed on back to Long Beach as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Fran was okay – she had fallen asleep and had left the phone in a different room. She was cranky and upset that we had left the parks to come back and I sure hope that she’s gotten over the upset feeling by now.


We made sure she was fine and then headed on back. So despite everything, this surprise did have a happy ending.


Park exit to Park entry was approximately 2 hours.






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[PrincessInOz]

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Where in the Land? – DisMeet #2




Dhorner and I have been playing on some of the photoboard games for quite a while now. It was a bonus to find out that she was going to be some-”Where in the Land” on the same day as I was.

It definitely was touch and go for this DisMeet for a while and we had to put off the first pre-arranged meeting place and time during our hiatus from the park.


On our way back, I texted Denise to see if we could still fit in a DisMeet. Luckily, the cards fell in our favour all round!


Denise was with her cousin. I found out that he is also a Dis-ser but never really got his handle, despite him mentioning it. I think it had “dis” and “cuz” in it.

We arranged to meet Denise and her cousin by the StoryTeller’s statue.

BTW – I had hoped to capture that statue but I never got an opportunity closer than this during the day!


When we got there, the Five & Dime were out and entertaining.

I ended up missing and messing up that first DisMeet moment. Denise and her cousin had arrived and I had cut short the first hello’s to take the opportunity to enjoy the moment; and watch the dance…

…and listen to the song.

Denise and Jason – so sorry for that! On reflection, it was definitely not one of my better MisManner’s moment!



So, we are out by the Storyteller’s statue; but Where in the Land were we going to go to enjoy the DisMeet?

 

[franandaj]

I read this about 12 hours ago, but was hesitant about posting since it was such a bittersweet interval. Here we were having fun, but scared to death that Fran might be splayed out on the floor somewhere unable to get to the phone that she could hear ringing but but yet not able to get to. Instead, she is jacked up on pain pills and oblivious to the fact that her phone is in the other room.

Granted she was was trying to be good and brought the phone into the bathroom, but neglected to carry it out when she left. This is the story of my life. I'm glad someone else was there to corroborate it!


I"m sorry the trip had a detour, but as you said, something about the regret factor if we didn't check. I'm glad we did, but sorry it took a chunk out of the day.

Oh yeah and BTW I think your score on Buzz Lightyear was like 10X greater than mine and you were complaining? Jeez I need to get to the park and figure out that ride. I never get past level 2!

And another thing! I'm going to be gone when you get to the good updates!

 

[PrincessInOz]

I"m sorry the trip had a detour, but as you said, something about the regret factor if we didn't check. I'm glad we did, but sorry it took a chunk out of the day.

Alison - The detour was all part of the day and spending time with you. Whilst it took a chunk out of the day, I'm really glad we went to check.

Oh yeah and BTW I think your score on Buzz Lightyear was like 10X greater than mine and you were complaining? Jeez I need to get to the park and figure out that ride. I never get past level 2!

You need to take lessons from Bret on that ride.

And another thing! I'm going to be gone when you get to the good updates!

.....

Now I'm wondering if I should wait for you to get back or just post the next update when it's ready.

You'll catch up.....I know you will.

 

[PrincessInOz]

A Year after the Turn of the Century




The second surprise of the day turned out to be particularly special for me. For those of you that read my 2011 TR in the preceding section of this thread, you might have remembered me mentioning that Alison has great contacts.

One in particular remembered the Aussie connection from the last time and decided to share more exclusive bounty with me and her. Without this particular contact and Alison, I would never have the pleasure and incredible treat of a look-see in here.



For many of you, a year after the turn of the century might bring thoughts of that Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

But Im actually referring to the year after the start of the twentieth century.


A year after the turn of that century, Walt Disney was born. It seems only fitting to have a memorial room as a tribute in the re-worked dignified park.

It is located in the Carthay Circle building, the replica of the cinema where the premier screening of Snow White took place in 1937.

This place has the look and feel of a gentlemans den.

With leather and wood....

.....and pictures and sketches on the walls.

Some of the pictures held surprises....

.....and I kept an eye towards the sketches at all times. Blink.....and you might miss it!

There was even a wall where a projection of Walt's shadow would periodically appear. I never was quick enough to get a picture of it.


The thing that I loved most in here were the light fittings!

I have always loved Tiffany or leadlight lamps. And there were some in here that were just delightful!

From the traditional....

....to the Art Deco....

.....and the Disney eclectic!

I was reminded that we had been a step away from here this morning. I hadnt even realised this room was here and those pictures that I took of the Carthay Circle colonnade was just right outside this door!

Like the DisMeet with Denise and her cousin, it had been touch and go for this experience a little while ago. Lucky for us, the contact was equally as flexible and incredibly generous enough to share the bounty all round so we could fit both experiences in.


So, our Where in the Land DisMeet continued on in here and it was a cool place for us to continue our 3D chats. I grabbed this shot of Denise and her cousin.

And they took one in return of me and Alison.

But you know what? We never did get one of all four of us together. I definitely was slipping on the photography front!





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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



After the round trip that Alison and I made, we were both in need of a drink and sustenance.

The food in here was of the snacking kind; and I gather it is the same as what you can get in Carthay Circle.

I am cursed with the alcohol tolerance of zero. My alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme levels are such that I end up being a one-pot screamer. So, I indulged in a mocktail and settled on an Elderberry lemonade.

Someone in our party had a more elaborate demonstration in mind.

We watched in amazement as a cylinder of ice was placed in that contraption as our Cast Member continued with the shaken, not stirred, demonstration.

I didn’t even notice it but that contraption did eventually close on itself…..

….it had carved that cyclinder into a perfect sphere. The CM, Judy, told me that the water used to make the ice was specially purified so that the ice would be perfectly clear and there wouldn’t be any air bubbles formed when frozen.

A quick transfer of liquid…

….and hey presto! Two colourful drinks, in their respective ways.

Our food?

We shared some warm olives.

The lamb meatballs were deliciously spiced in that Middle Eastern way.

We indulged in the mango sorbet….

…and the super rich chocolate ice cream de-light mousse.

Yes, I certainly felt like I’d been given the director’s seat this afternoon!

It had been a wonderful indulgence in a hidden gem!

Alison – my thanks again to you and your contact for a very special surprise! Much like that Stanley Kubric masterpiece, I certainly had my own kind of great odyssey in here.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Wow! That was amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[rentayenta]

I'm so glad Fran was okay. Poor Alison must have been beside herself.





And now I can say wow wow wow! 1901 looks amazing and I love the pic of you and Alison, simply adorable. The snacks look delicious as do both drinks, even the boozeless one. I am not a huge drinker anymore. I am a lightweight. I work with a substance abuse guru and he says its quite common for women, as we age, to become unable to breakdown the enzymes in alcohol like we once did. I am living proof. Two drinks and I'm silly.

Thank you for such a thorough overview on RSR and for the Carsland pics. I am so eager to visit.

 

[Uncle Remus]

Wow! That was amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Oh yeah, my thoughts too! Amazing!

 

[dhorner233]

It was so much fun meeting you and Alison!!! Thank you so much for inviting us! I am ashamed to say I did not even know about the 1901 Lounge! I was in awe! The place is beautiful! That berry drink was delicious!!!

You pictures are so gorgeous!! Love the light fixture and good catch on the drawing of Snow White that comes alive. I never saw what it did.

Note to self: NEVER allow myself to be photographed while I'm sitting down!!! I look horrible! And my ONLY picture of me there is worse than yours!

 

[zanzibar138]

Awesome! You lucky duck!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Very much enjoying the latest instalments PIO. I love that secret place you visited. I have never heard of it so was very excited to see your pics. Is this place just used for exclusive guests????

It also sounds like you might have some secret tips for me for getting a good score on Buzz. If so I need to hear em .

No seriously, I need them

 

[dhorner233]

A Year after the Turn of the Century



There was even a wall where a projection of Walt's shadow would periodically appear. I never was quick enough to get a picture of it.




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Here is a picture Jason got of Walt's shadow. It's not perfect but, you get the idea. Good catch on the Snow White picture. We did not get that one.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow! That was amazing! Thanks for sharing!

You're welcome. But I have to thank my benefactor for the opportunity.

I'm so glad Fran was okay. Poor Alison must have been beside herself.

She was.

I think I told her that my philosophy on situations where there was the potential for a high regret factor was to do the right thing. I'm so glad we went.

And now I can say wow wow wow! 1901 looks amazing and I love the pic of you and Alison, simply adorable. The snacks look delicious as do both drinks, even the boozeless one. I am not a huge drinker anymore. I am a lightweight. I work with a substance abuse guru and he says its quite common for women, as we age, to become unable to breakdown the enzymes in alcohol like we once did. I am living proof. Two drinks and I'm silly.

Thank you for such a thorough overview on RSR and for the Carsland pics. I am so eager to visit.

When we eventually meet in 3D, you and I have to indulge in mocktails together!

Oh yeah, my thoughts too! Amazing!

It was so much fun meeting you and Alison!!! Thank you so much for inviting us! I am ashamed to say I did not even know about the 1901 Lounge! I was in awe! The place is beautiful! That berry drink was delicious!!!

You pictures are so gorgeous!! Love the light fixture and good catch on the drawing of Snow White that comes alive. I never saw what it did.

Note to self: NEVER allow myself to be photographed while I'm sitting down!!! I look horrible! And my ONLY picture of me there is worse than yours!

I was very happy to be able to see the lounge in person too.

And if my pictures are gorgeous, then it stands to reason that the picture I took of you is gorgeous too. You look great! (And its not as if we are going to Disney to be fashion plates).

Here is a picture Jason got of Walt's shadow. It's not perfect but, you get the idea. Good catch on the Snow White picture. We did not get that one.

Denise and Jason - thank you so much for sharing this picture. I love it. Great capture on the shadow!

Awesome! You lucky duck!

Thank you.

Very much enjoying the latest instalments PIO. I love that secret place you visited. I have never heard of it so was very excited to see your pics. Is this place just used for exclusive guests????

It also sounds like you might have some secret tips for me for getting a good score on Buzz. If so I need to hear em .

No seriously, I need them

Last year, our benefactor booked us a table for lunch at Club 33. The benefactor does not have to be present when we visited the Club.

For the Lounge, our benefactor had to be present. And they have to hold a Black Card membership to enter.

Tips on Buzz?

The best player I know on Buzz is mvf-m11c. He seems to max out at 999,999 regularly. I think Bret might be the person you want to get tips from!

 

[shushh]

PIO, I just caught up. WOW to everything!

You're probably sick of hearing it...but Carsland is amazing and your photos are stunning! I'm sorry to hear that Fran was unwell and that you and Alison had that awful moment. Glad though that all was well in the end.

As for 1901...WOW! LOVE it, and the food porn was first class. As a fellow alcohol dehydrogenase poor person, I understand your choice of drink. Although how awesome is that ice sphere?!?!?

 

[PrincessInOz]

PIO, I just caught up. WOW to everything!

You're probably sick of hearing it...but Carsland is amazing and your photos are stunning! I'm sorry to hear that Fran was unwell and that you and Alison had that awful moment. Glad though that all was well in the end.

As for 1901...WOW! LOVE it, and the food porn was first class. As a fellow alcohol dehydrogenase poor person, I understand your choice of drink. Although how awesome is that ice sphere?!?!?

Hmmmm.....no.....I can't say I'm sick of hearing it (or reading it)!


But thank you. You're very kind!


That ice sphere was amazing. I wish they would put that in my mocktail! As a ice-sucker lover (I think I mean to say that I love sucking ice....), I did wonder if it was possible to get that in my mouth.

Never. mind. It. was. only. a. fleeting. thought.

 

[shushh]

That ice sphere was amazing. I wish they would put that in my mocktail! As a ice-sucker lover (I think I mean to say that I love sucking ice....), I did wonder if it was possible to get that in my mouth.

Never. mind. It. was. only. a. fleeting. thought.

Well seeing as we're discussing fleeting thoughts...I really wanted to lick it!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Well seeing as we're discussing fleeting thoughts...I really wanted to lick it!

Be very careful. This was a rather sought-after avatar for a while.

 

[PrincessInOz]

In A Genie Galaxy Far Far Away – Must Do #3



We said our thanks to our benefactor and goodbyes to our DisMeet friends and headed off to continue our respective days.


Must-do #3 on my list was Aladdin; and we were heading for the 4.45 pm show at the Hyperion.

The last time I’d seen this show was in 2007 and despite trying, I have never been able to make it to a repeat since that time. I was aware that there had been changes to the show since that time, courtesy of a wayward cable on a flying carpet, so it was going to be interesting to see how that particular scene worked out.

Plus, I didn’t even know how to spell dSLR in 2007, so I took this opportunity to address a gap in my Disney picture collection.



So, settle back and buckle in.





A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. Welcome to Agrabah. City of mystery, of enchantment

It is a period of civil war. During the battle, spies have managed to steal secret plans to the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star…….Awk! Cave of wonders!

The Princess is a rebellious kind of princess…..sometimes, I feel so trapped.

Enter the Dark Lord…….you know, you look great up close. But you'd look better from Ja-far.

A young boy embarks on the adventure of a life time….. Street rat! (I don't think he's the "Wan" but still I think he's rather tasty)

Our hero is pretty much alone……I'd blame parents, except he hasn't got 'em!

Pursued by the Empire’s sinister agents….

One jump ahead of the breadline, One swing ahead of the sword.

The Dark Lord sends our hero on a mission…

..…and he travels into the centre of the Death Star…….Awk! Cave of wonders.

….where he meets his loyal best friend. (Where is Abu in this production???)

The Dark Lord seeks a weapon of mass destruction….."my precioussss"….

Our hero (is) buffs!

And so he meets the kind stranger, ObiWan Kenobe…..I need to call Genie Craig!

Use the Force!.....Wish Fulfilment. Count’em. Three wishes, to be exact. And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes. That's all. Three. Uno, dos, tres. No substitutions, exchanges or refunds.

Time to Wake up and sing with the Blue Hummus!

He’ll be your Maitre’D.

Can your friends do this?

Can your friends do that?

You ain't never had a friend like me!

Princes, that is NOT ObiWan Kenobi.

And it might be a bit behind in technology, but this is NOT the Millennium Falcon.

Um…..I don’t think you’re meant to be wearing this outfit until Episode VI.

Okay. Enough with the horse-play.

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